Rowand keeps Cubs out of first place

The North Siders would have moved into a first-place tie with National League Central-leading Milwaukee had they won, but instead fell back to a game behind the Brewers, who were idle.

By Jeff Vorva

Some White Sox fans have been clamoring all year for the South Siders to bring center fielder Aaron Rowand back.

Cubs fans probably share a similar view after Monday night, likely wishing Rowand were back in a Sox uniform and out of their hair right now.

Rowand hit a three-run homer off Ted Lilly in the third inning, and another ex-Sox, Tadahito Iguchi, added a solo shot in the fifth as the Philadelphia Phillies helped keep the Cubs out of first place with a 4-1 victory in front of a Wrigley Field crowd 41,686.

The North Siders (55-49) would have moved into a first-place tie with National League Central-leading Milwaukee had they won, but instead fell back to a game behind the Brewers, who were idle.

Lilly (11-5) had a seven-game winning streak snapped, thanks to the former South Siders’ power. Rowand hit his 15th homer of the season and Iguchi his seventh. For the latter, it was his first since being dealt to the Phillies on Friday.

“I’m sure all the White Sox fans in town are happy,” Rowand said.

“That flashed across my mind in the dugout,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said about two ex-Sox doing the Cubs in.

It just wasn’t ex-South Siders doing the damage. A left-handed starting pitcher with no ties to the Sox had a pretty good night as well. Cole Hamels (12-5) allowed just one run - on a solo homer by Ryan Theriot in the sixth - on three hits in eight innings.

“He has one of the best changeups around,” Theriot said. “We ran into a guy who is throwing the ball rather well.”

Lilly had location issues haunt him in his five innings, giving up seven hits and issuing three walks.

“This is one of those games where I had the opportunity to step up,” Lilly said. “(Hamels) outpitched me. He’s very good. We’re right there playing good baseball, and you want to keep that momentum up. I threw a ball at (Jimmy) Rollins that went behind him in the first inning, and I was trying to force that ball in there so much. I wasn’t making clean throws.

“It was just bad.”

It was Lilly’s first loss since a 7-5 setback at Milwaukee on June 5. He had won seven and had a pair of no-decisions since then, giving up just one earned run in five of those victories. It was the longest winning streak by a Cubs southpaw since Ken Holtzman won eight straight in 1969.

The Phillies (56-49) have won nine of their last 10 and are in second place in the National League East. They moved to within three games of the New York Mets.

The Phillies already have ex-Sox players Rowand, Iguchi and injured pitcher Freddy Garcia in their fold courtesy of trades. Could they be giving Sox general manager Kenny Williams another call about right fielder Jermaine Dye before today’s 3 p.m. non-waiver trading deadline?

The Phils lost switch-hitting leadoff man/right fielder Shane Victorino to a calf injury Monday when he ran hard trying to avoid a double play in fourth.

His replacement, Michael Bourn, tripped and fell on the Phillies’ bullpen mound trying to catch an Alfonso Soriano popup. Bourn sprained his left ankle but stayed in the game for two innings before Greg Dobbs pinch-hit for him in the seventh. Dobbs, normally a backup first baseman, went to right in the bottom of the inning.